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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “timezone switcher”

wp.org orders by popularity, so a plugin a host bundled onto millions of sites, or a big-brand one that's slow and mediocre, can sit at the top. Our ranking is built to answer a different question: which of these is actually worth installing. How this works →

For “timezone switcher”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 13 of the top 20. 2 plugins are pushed down for signals wp.org ignores: errors, a host-installed base, or removal risk.

wp.org search ranks on

Install count (uncapped), the raw star average, freshness, and support. Popularity dominates, so the biggest install base usually wins regardless of how it got there.

We add

A cap on the install boost, volume-weighted ratings, and signals wp.org can't see: whether it throws errors on current PHP, whether the install base is organic or host-pushed, and its risk of being pulled.

Ranked above its merit

iiTech Global Language & Timezone shows at wp.org #6 but places #22 on merit, a gap of 16 places. Its — installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 1 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Store Exporter – Export WooCommerce Products, Orders, Subscriptions, Customers places #7 on merit, 4.1★ from 166 reviews, but shows at wp.org #16. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 YayCurrency – WooCommerce Multi-Currency Switcher 7K+ · 4.8★ (114) wp.org #1 2 Online Scheduling and Appointment Booking System – Bookly 60K+ · 4.4★ (586) wp.org #2 3 PPOM – Product Addons & Custom Fields for WooCommerce 20K+ · 4.5★ (283) wp.org #4 ↑1 1 too low 4 EventON – Events Calendar 6K+ · 4.1★ (44) wp.org #5 ↓1 1 too low 5 Paymattic – Secure, Simple Payment & Donation with Subscription Payments, Recurring Donations, Customer Management 3K+ · 4.8★ (44) wp.org #11 6 too low 6 BA Book Everything 10K+ · 4.2★ (20) wp.org #13 ↓1 7 too low 7 Store Exporter – Export WooCommerce Products, Orders, Subscriptions, Customers 6K+ · 4.1★ (166) wp.org #16 9 too low 8 MHM Currency Switcher 10+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #3 5 too high 9 Secure MCP Server for Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini and other AI Agents 8K+ · 5.0★ (10) wp.org #12 ↓2 3 too low 10 Premium Blocks – Gutenberg Blocks, Patterns & Templates 2K+ · 4.8★ (41) wp.org #22 12 too low 11 HashBar – Announcement, Notification Bar & Popup Campaign 9K+ · 4.2★ (38) wp.org #21 10 too low 12 Chwazi – Delivery & Pickup Scheduling for WooCommerce 500+ · 5.0★ (30) wp.org #19 7 too low 13 AnWP Football Leagues 700+ · 4.9★ (14) wp.org #20 7 too low 14 Product Option Kit – Product Options & Addons for WooCommerce 200+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #7 ↑1 7 too high 15 Coming Soon Maintenance Mode 6K+ · 4.7★ (3) wp.org #8 ↓1 7 too high 16 Product Price History for WooCommerce 800+ · 5.0★ (9) wp.org #14 ↓1 2 too high 17 Event Koi Lite – Events Calendar, Event Management, RSVP, and Tickets 60+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #17 ↑1 18 Eventward 400+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #10 ↑4 8 too high 19 Popup builder with Gamification, Multi-Step Popups, Page-Level Targeting, and WooCommerce Triggers 70K+ · 5.0★ (7) wp.org #23 4 too low 20 Ele Conditions for Elementor 2K+ · 4.2★ (5) wp.org #18 ↓1 2 too high 21 Jock On Air Now (JOAN) 400+ · 3.8★ (9) wp.org #24 3 too low 22 iiTech Global Language & Timezone — · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #6 16 too high 23 AI Agent by SiteGround 1M+ · 1.7★ (98) wp.org #9 14 too high 24 Arreluna – Countdown Visibility Switcher 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #15 9 too high

Merit ranking caps the install boost at 1M (wp.org leaves it uncapped), replaces the raw star average with a volume-weighted Bayesian score and a Wilson lower bound, and keeps wp.org's own freshness and compatibility decays. Method from the plugin-directory source; see Meta Trac #8298. Positions are tracked daily from the first visit to a keyword, so the small arrows show movement since tracking began.